Results tagged “healthcare”

There are entire populations in this world that you simply cannot imagine. Not because their culture is so different or their location so astounding; rather, just because they are alive. On CNN or MSNBC or the Drudge Report or the Huffington Post, numbers get thrown around about ‘displaced people’ or ‘war-torn populations’. Numbers that (objectively) are big, but also too unwieldy; they cease to have any real context at a certain point because it’s just really, really hard to imagine suffering on such a massive scale. But the numbers are real, and there are people - unimaginable survivors - behind those numbers that simply cannot be ignored or bound by legalese and theoretical direction. There is an absolute need for someone, anyone, to step in and get their hands dirty. Enter MSF.

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) has changed it's recommendation for the onset and frequency of Pap smears for women. Until this week, medical guidelines have called for women to get annual Pap smears, which check for cervical cancer and other cervical and reproductive abnormalities, beginning no later than three years after becoming sexually active, or at age 21 (whichever comes first).

Yeah, it definitely feels like that. And if you do get into the club, some health insurance providers punish you for getting older. And that makes some sense until you you find out "older" means 28 years old, necessitating a near 50 percent increase in monthly payments. But we digress.

UPDATE: Chris Bowers at Open Left has a much more detailed breakdown of the Baucus plan. It's far, far worse than implied yesterday. And if you care about this sort of thing, it also looks like Max let an insurance industry shill write the whole thing, and made sure that those overtly part of the insurance sector read the bill before the White House.

The Angel City Jazz Festival concludes today at the Ford Amphitheater. The music begins at 4 pm with Alex Cline's Band of the Moment, followed by sets from The Wayne Horvitz Gravitas Quartet, The Nels Cline Singers with Jeff Parker, The Larry Goldings Organ Trio, Motoko Honda & Oguri (piano and butoh dance) and Bennie Maupin and Dolphyana. Tickets are $35 and student/child price: $12.

Really. President Obama's healthcare reform proposal ranks highly among least understood policy proposals in current politics. What follows is a concise and easy to understand explanation of the popular but often muddled "public option" that is contained in national legislation and that forms the centerpiece of President Obama's proposal. This one is great for cocktail parties and local bars, because it's so easy to explain.

The free healthcare check program at The Forum in Inglewood that will go through next week has been so popular, Metro is temporarily extending a bus line's service to 24 hours. Thousands turned out in the first two days of the week long event that is offering free health, dental and vision checks to the uninsured, under-insured, unemployed and under-employed. Hundreds spent the night hoping to get checked today. Remote Area Medical Foundation will be offering services through next Tuesday. Due to "overwhelming demand," Metro Bus Line 115, which usually runs from 5 a.m. to midnight will now run 24 hours a day with service every half hour during the off-hours. Good Timing? Remote Area Medical tends to serve rural areas, but placing a clinic in the 2nd largest U.S. city during the national healthcare debate is an interesting move, coincidental or not.

Hundreds lined up at the Inglewood Forum early this morning for free medical, dental and vision care not just for the uninsured and under-insured, but the unemployed and under-employed, too. Remote Area Medical, a volunteer based organization that recruits professional doctors, will be here today through August 18th beginning at 5:30 a.m. daily. Only 1,200 people a day will be scheduled for appointments, according to the LA Times, which noted people began showing before 3 a.m. this morning. A variety of services will be offered including PAP smears, x-rays and Mammography.

Of all the pressing medical issues in America today, Lyme disease doesn’t usually rank very high on the list of things to worry about. That is, unless you believe the startling new documentary by Andy Abrahams Wilson, Under Our Skin. In it, the filmmaker postulates that Lyme is not only more prevalent than most people realize, it is a rapidly growing problem across our nation that leaves behind it missed diagnoses, insurmountable medical bills, crippling health issues, and sometimes death.

Facing budget concerns, non-emergency healthcare for illegal immigrants had been cut from the budgets of a few Northern California counties. Emergency room access will still be available and that's part of the concern--some fear that issues that could have been prevented through routine healthcare will worsen sending more people to emergency rooms. This is definitely starting another battle between immigration camps. Here in Los Angeles County, despite upcoming deficits, there are no plans to cut the program for illegal immigrants.

       

Last week the fifth and final White House Regional Forum on Health Reform took place at the California Endowment in downtown Los Angeles. Speakers included California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes, Childrens Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman, and the event was moderated by Dr Mehmet Oz who appears regularly on the Oprah show. A preselected audience shared personal stories, and some questions were chosen from those submitted at the Obama administration's Health Reform site.

Happy Mardi Gras, everyone! Laissez les bons temps rouler...

Yesterday a panel of hospital and government officials voiced concerns over overcrowding in Los Angeles emergency rooms and called for the creation of more community health clinics in the county.ER overcrowding is a growing problem in California for a number of reasons.

As I enter week three of my cold, sneezing all over the computer and coughing (cautiously, away from the screen) there could be no more timely event than one discussing health care. Can I go in to see my doctor? Can I even get through the 10-minute wait on hold to talk to someone in my doctor's office? How might the health care policies of next president effect this situation?

There's no guarantee that employees in the Service Employees International Union Local 1871 will strike, but they've overwhelmingly authorized the action if leaders choose to do so. What's going on? In short, employees like janitors, cabin cleaners, and cargo crew who are hired by subcontractors and the airlines (note, not the airport itself), say they have inadequate training, lack of proper equipment, lack of health care and low pay, according to the Associated Press.

Los Angeles might be one of the U.S. cities that best typifies disparities in healthcare. While on one side of town, you have King-Harbor Hospital being shut down, on the other side of town you have Cedars-Sinai serving the rich and famous.

Mr. Brainwash (aka MBW) is an “eccentric French filmmaker” whose first exhibit “Life is Beautiful” is showing at the old CBS studios. The show will feature more than 300 paintings, sculptures and prints alongside an installation made from 100,000 shoes and a life-size re-creation of Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks.

On Wednesday, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo announced that the city was suing Anthem Blue Cross for alleged illegal cancelations of health plan coverage. Then, on Thursday, the Schwarzenegger administration had an announcement of their own: thousands of rescinded plans of sick Californians will be investigated. It is considered to be the state's boldest move yet on issue, according to the LA Times.

For the second time, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo is suing a health plan provider, the first being Health Net Inc. in February. Today, the announcement to sue Anthem Blue Cross of California and Anthem Blue Cross Life & Health came after launching www.protectingtheinsured.org, a city website to "law enforcement investigation regarding denial of health insurance claims or coverage due to unlawful, fraudulent or unfair practices." The website lets consumers directly make complaints to the city.

Chances are you’ve heard of Dr. Drew Pinsky, board certified addiction medicine specialist, either through his popular late night radio program Loveline, or recent TV hit show, Celebrity Rehab. What you may not know is that in addition to the two programs, Dr. Drew also has another radio show on KGIL 1260 AM. Monday through Friday, from 11 am -1 pm, Dr. Drew opens up the phone lines and explores broader health topics, from his vexation with medical insurance companies to rebuilding lives and relationships following addiction. In his daytime radio show, Dr. Drew’s no nonsense, to the point discourse illuminates listeners and provides them with a better self and social consciousness.

It sounds a little like something you might see on COPS: What was just going to be a routine traffic stop in Glendale turned out to be a major nab for the FBI.

While John Edwards never placed higher than 2nd in any Caucus or Primary this election season, his strong union message amplified throughout the race. But, despite his how the other half lives message, support he garnered among some unions did not translate into wins, or even very strong finishes.

Natalie Angier, New York Times reporter and author of Woman: An Intimate Geography, has written foreword to Full Body Project, the recently published book of photographs by Leonard Nimoy (yes Trekkies, Spock). The two will focus their Hammer Conversation on the concepts of beauty and sexuality.

What will Hike The Geek do?!?!

After declaring a fiscal emergency in California, Governor Schwarzenegger yesterday unveiled his plan to close the gap in the state's budget through a 10 percent, across-the-board cut to state programs.

Apparently, a liver transplant is "experimental."

TALK: Pulizer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold moderates a Zócalo discussion that focuses on “The Mexican Restaurant in Los Angeles.” Joining in on the roundtable are Gilberto Cetina of the Yucatecan restaurant Chichen Itza, Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu of La Casita Mexicana, and Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger of Border Grill. 7 pm // Central Library – Mark Taper Auditorium // 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles // Free. (Reservations are recommended.)...

MUSIC: Machine Project is back with an evening of experimental folk music mix. The evening features the sounds of Ryan Fuller, Julie Carpenter, Laura Steenberge, Ruthann Friedman, rickyricky, Pilar Diaz, Pawko and Marshweed.